Dear athletes,
I am delighted to have the honour to invite you to our next European Championship in canicross, bikejöring and scooter with one dog, which takes place on October, 15-16, 2016 in Vysočina Arena in Nové Město na Moravě.
I would like to use this opportunity to remind you all of the ECF philosophy: European Championship does not only enable the best athletes to compete each other for the official title of the European Champion, it is also and above all meant for athletes who are not part of the elite but are used to taking part in this important sports event and happily follow their national flag. Let us also add the pleasure in meeting people from other countries and our love for dogs.
I just came back from the Czech Republic, where I have seen an enthusiastic and highly motivated team that organizes the event. I am sure that – thanks to their great experience – they will prepare a monumental championship.
The area is simply gorgeous. The race-track is hidden in the wild nature, 650 meters above sea level. The stadium is used mainly for World Championships, especially in biathlon and cross-country skiing, but also in mountain bike. There are huge stands, shooting targets, penalization panel, small bridge, huge parking lot and a small ski jumpnearby (we won’t use that…). There are snow cannons, that won’t be at work… but there is still a lot of snow in the forest protected by the trees, which does not melt during the whole summer. We will not see it, but it is going to be there.
There will be a big stake-out with showers, toilets, electricity (for fee) and place for washing bikes and scooters at your disposal all for free.
There are also hotels available nearby and in the distance up to 10 km. These are clean, for a reasonable price and are dog-friendly. The opening ceremony is planned, as usually, for Friday evening and the banquet for competitors will take place on Saturday evening.
I have discovered a fully-forested track: it’s breathtaking but also very difficult. It is, besides other things, not suitable for dogs and athletes who are not well trained, which applies to scooter 1 as well, as it will take place on the long track. If it rains, there won’t be any mud on the track. Start and finish are at the stadium in front of thousands (??? maybe) of spectators. After crossing a small bridge, the track goes to the forest and runs through it almost to the finish.
The paths are wide, which makes them easy to cross. The track is not very technical, but some curves are rather sharp. However, what’s important is the elevation difference: there are 4 hills; the last two are going to ache. The start and the finish are at a same level, thus the athlete loses the height he gains at first later. The descents are steep at some points, but mostly they are long and gentle, especially the one that goes to the finish (luckily)!!!
It will be really exciting and I cannot wait to see you at the race.
Great choice, only a real champion can become a winner on this track.
Attention: preliminary applications have to come through official channels to the ECF Secretariat of each country until June, 30. If there are more than 600 applications, we will need to set limits for individual nationalities.
I am looking forward to seeing you soon!
Jean-Pierre Talbot (Président ECF)